If you are new to this blog . . .

If you are new to this blog you may want to check out the post on putting together a food storage meal plan so you can better understand how this blog is organized.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Using your Food Storage in the Freezer



Remember your freezer space is part of your food storage! It can be used to “save the day” when the schedule gets tight. It allows you to buy in quantity when the price is right on items like beef, poultry, veggies and fruits. Even your "daily bread" can be kept in the freezer to allow school lunches for weeks at a time.  Many great casseroles can be made several at one time and frozen for later use.

    A friend of mine taught me that the freezer is great for easy make-ahead meals. Meal portions can be frozen in ziplock bags allowing for quick and simple fixing. It also allows everyone in the family to help out following the easy instructions. If you haven’t tried freezer meals, now is a great time to spend a day or an afternoon putting some together. You'll be so grateful to have some pre-made casseroles or quick to fix homemade meals you can pull out in a pinch. I love to turn a rainy day into a freezer- meal- making day.

As you find produce or groceries on sale, think about the space you have to put some away for later.

 For instance:

                  - When chicken is on sale, buy a little extra and prep it before putting it straight in the freezer. Cut up portions and place in a ziplock bag  with the ingredients for your favorite recipe. When you pull it from the freezer, the chicken can go in the crock pot or be cooked on the stove with little to no effort.
         - Fry up a large amount of hamburger or ground turkey and portion it into ziplock bags to add to meals another time, cutting down prep time the night you serve it. You can even spice some of the meat for recipes like tacos.
           -   Place meat into the  marinade before you freeze it and as it thaws, the juices will combine.  Then cook it in the crockpot or on the grill - from freezer to done with very little work.
          - As  you rotate storage and find canned goods close to their best used dates, spend an afternoon putting together sauces or casseroles that can be placed in the freezer. 

Most everything can freeze so try some of the family favorites. As one of my cook book proclaims…”Dinner’s in the Freezer!” What a great relief that can be for you or a neighbor in need.


Here are some recipes and ideas. Talk to your friends about what they put in the freezer for more helpful ideas.

Breakfast:  Make pancakes, muffins, waffles, French toast, or breakfast burritos ahead of time and freeze for morning time ease. Most recipes will freeze nicely.

Cookies! Freeze the dough in rolls to slice and bake later or make the cookies and freeze ready to eat! My kids love to make a BIG batch to put some away for later. We even bag the cookies in snack baggies to be quick to grab for cold lunches.

Fruit for smoothies - Always rewarding - especially when the produce came at a decent price or was picked by your own hands.

Meals: Any recipe your family likes can probably freeze. So when you make one lasagna double the batch and you've got one for another day. Soups can easily be doubled and leftovers  frozen. This works with most casseroles as well. With minimal planning, extra dinner can be made and frozen  for later use.

Here are some favorites!

Sweet n’ Sour Meatballs

2 lbs ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
Onion salt and garlic powder to taste
1 Egg
Oatmeal or cooked quinoa (optional)

Mix and form into 1” balls. Place on cooking tray. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Drain, allow to cool and place in Ziplock bags. (Make a large batch while your hands are dirty. Pre-cooked meatballs can be used in many recipes.)

Sauce:

2 cans pineapple chunks, drained and reserve juice
2 Tbsp cornstarch
4 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
Green and red peppers
Carrot slices


Heat up juice and cornstarch. Add vinegar, brown sugar and soy sauce and bring to a boil while stirring. Mixture should be thick. Allow to cook and place in ziplock bag with pineapple chunks, green and red pepper and carrot slices. Label and freeze.

To prepare, thaw, pour sauce over meatballs and heat through in the microwave, on the stove, or in the crockpot. Serve over rice that can also be cooked in batches, portioned out  and frozen for quick heat up.


Stuffed Rolls
This one is a basic hot pockets recipe and any filling can be used. This is one of those recipes that makes plenty so you know there will be some for the freezer. We like these filling options:
1 - Hamburger browned and drained, mushrooms, onions, cabbage all diced and sauteed. Mix together with basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
2 - Diced ham, cheddar cheese and spaghetti sauce. Sometimes we use the leftover spaghetti dinner for the filling. Yum!
3 - Chicken, broccoli, rice, grated cheese, cream of chicken soup and sour cream mixture.
Make your favorite bread dough recipe or used frozen dough that has thawed. Roll out dough into a thin rectangle. Use pizza cutter to cut dough into squares or rectangles. Place desired filling into center of dough. Fold over corners to wrap up and squeeze the edges together. Place seam down on greased cookie tray and bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes until dough is golden brown. Rub top of rolls with butter when they come out. Cool completely before putting in ziplock bag and freezing. Heat up and enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Bag 1 , combine:
2 cups  cooked, diced chicken
3 cups tortilla chips, crushed
2 cups frozen corn Kernels
Bag 2, Combine:
8 oz pasteurized process cheese (Velveeta) cut into 1 inch cubes
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 Tbsp Taco seasoning
Seal Bag 2 and place into Bag 1; seal. Freeze.
Add contents of Bag 2 and 2 cans chicken broth  to 4 qt pan. Bring to simmer over medium heat; cook 12-14 minutes or until cheese is melted, stirring occasionally.
Add contents of Bag 1 to pan; simmer 4-6 minutes. Soup should thicken.
Serve soup with toppings such as shredded  cheese, diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro.


Dijon Chicken Noodle Toss

In bag 1, combine:
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
2 cups frozen peas
In bag 2, combine;
¼ lb. deli ham, diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
Seal bag 2, place in bag 1; seal. Freeze.

Cook 12 oz rotini pasta as directed and drain.
Meanwhile, place 1\2 cup water and contents of Bag 2 in skillet; cover. Bring to simmer, stirring occasionally.
Add 8 oz sour cream to skillet. Add contents of Bag 1 to skillet. Cover and cook 4-6 minutes.
Toss over cooked pasta . Serve with a sprinkle of parsley and Parmesan, if desired.

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